Suzanne Breen, the U.K. reporter who refused to
surrender notes on Real IRA and was supported by the Belfast Court, responds to Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Shaun Woodward’s letter to the OPC where he writes that a free press “must be balanced against the need to protect the safety and security of the public.”
Category: Letters to Countries
Letters to Countries
Northern Ireland Replies to OPC
Shaun Woodward, the secretary of state for Northern Ireland, replies to the OPC’s letter sent in support of Suzanne Breen‘s and her refusal to surrender notes on Real IRA. Woodward writes: “A free press is a vital element of all democracies. However, those freedoms must be balanced against the need to protect the safety and security of the public… .” Northern Ireland Replies 155.20 Kb
India Replies to OPC
Apropos your letter dated June 17, 2009 addressed to Ambassador on the subject of alleged detention of photographer Shahidul Alam by Indian Border Security Force. The facts of the case, as ascertained by us from the concerned Indian authories are as follows.
Re-trial of Politkovskaya Case Is a Chance to End Sham Justice in Russia
The OPC is encouraged by the decision of the Russian Supreme Court overturning the acquittals of the three defendants in the murder of our colleague, Anna Politkovskaya, and by the prospect that they will be tried again. However, we write to express our hope that this trial, unlike the first, will be conducted in open court with full press coverage, so that the public will be able to assess the evidence presented.
Egypt July 1, 2009
The OPC is very disturbed by the latest indications that authorities in the Egyptian government are being allowed to ignore Egypt’s commitment to freedom of information.
Report to OPC Board of Governors June 30, 2009
The Freedom of the Press Committee has had a productive month, having written 13 letters to foreign governments protesting violations of press freedom. The bad news is that there were so many cases demanding our attention.
Pakistan June 29, 2009
The OPC has been informed by the Pakistan Press Foundation of a serious incident of abuse of press freedom by members of Pakistani security forces in the Pakistan Northwest frontier area.
OPC Calls for New Birth of Press Freedom in Sri Lanka
The war is over, but Sri Lanka remains one of the three or four most dangerous countries in the world for a journalist to work. Even if the Sri Lankan government is not directly responsible for the attacks on journalists, it has created the conditions for persecution with impunity.
OPC Urges Iran to End Media Crack-down
Whatever the outcome of the current electoral dispute, no good can result from Iran to continue its heavy-handed repression of journalists who are trying to report these events to the world.
OPC Appeals Again for Justice in Philippine Journalists’ Murders
The murder of radio-commentator Crispin Perez is the sixth shooting of a Philippine journalist this year, which is an unprecedented level of violence against the press. We urge the Philippine government to bring the killers to justice.